The paradigm of Viral Communication

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Welker, Carl B.

Affiliations: IIW (Institute of Information Management), Nelly-Sachs-Str. 17, 40764 Langenfeld, Germany

Abstract: The IIW Institute of Information Management (www.IIW.de) is dealing with commercial applications of digital technologies, such as the internet, digital printing, and many more. A study which has recently been carried out by the institute, identifies viral messages as a new paradigm of communication, mostly found in the area of Direct Marketing, and – who wonders – mainly within the USA. Viral messages underly certain principles: (1) Prospects and customers of the idea are offered a technology platform providing a possibility to send a message to a majority of persons; (2) There is an emotional or pecuniary incentive to participate. Ideally, niches of needs and market vacua are filled with funny ideas; (3) Also, the recipients are facing emotional or pecuniary incentives to contact a majority of further recipients – this induces a snowball effect and the message is spread virally and (4) The customer is activated as an “ambassador” of the piece of information, for instance promoting a product or a company. It is evident that there has been a long lasting history of what we call “word-of-mouth” ever since, however bundles of digital technologies empower the viral communication paradigm.

DOI: 10.3233/ISU-2002-22102

Journal: Information Services & Use, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 3-8, 2002